


The Protector of Cosmo Canyon

by cruellae (tinkabelladk)



Series: Cloud and Company [2]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Cosmo Canyon, Family, Gen, mako experiments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-29 04:11:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17800832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinkabelladk/pseuds/cruellae
Summary: A fireside chat between Cloud and Red XIII during their first stop in Cosmo Canyon.





	The Protector of Cosmo Canyon

The first thing the Shinra scientists do is mark him. The brand is searing hot pain on the large muscle of his shoulder, and he howls with the shame and agony of it. Then they start the experiments.

By the time the burn has healed, the constant Mako exposure has affected the wound, leaving him with the letters XIII in raised, slightly glowing, red.

They take the child he was and unmake him, and make him again in their twisted image. Red XIII is what they call him, and eventually, it is what he calls himself as well.

It makes sense that when he breaks free, he is called upon to fight. He was a peaceful child of a peaceful people, but as an adult, he is made for killing. Shinra has made him stronger and more resilient, with longer claws and sharper teeth. His grandfather would not recognize him.

When he comes home to Cosmo Canyon, it is as much bitter as sweet. The anger that burns within him, the anger that _they_ injected under his skin along with the Mako and experimental drugs, does not abate even at the sight of beloved Grandfather.

It would break Grandfather’s heart to know. Red XIII keeps it a secret. He wears the guise of Nanaki, and fools them all. Grandfather smiles, the wrinkles around his eyes digging deeper with fondness. Aerith pats his head in the way only she is allowed to, and tells him she is glad to see him among his people once more. Even Cloud graces him with an approving nod, before turning his attention to Grandfather’s wisdom.

While Grandfather takes the rest of his companions to see his constellations, Red XIII hides away in a dark corner of the inn and sleeps until the town around him is dark and still.

He creeps out of the inn. The town is deserted except for a single figure, sitting by the fire. His spiky hair gives him away, as does the glint of the broadsword balanced across his knees. The weapons vendor who sold it to them struggled to take it off the wall, careening wildly under the weight of the steel, until Cloud took it in one hand and twirled it, testing the balance before nodding his satisfaction and taking out money to pay for it.

That vendor won’t forget the man whose eyes glowed like Mako any more than he’ll forget the man before him—the one in the black cape.

Red XIII moves silently to take a place beside the fire.

Cloud’s eyes open, and the mercenary studies him in the flicker of the firelight. “It’s not the same, is it?” he asks.

Red XIII shakes his head. It’s a human gesture, but he likes it, the wordless simplicity. He’s still working on an imitation of Cloud’s passive-aggressive shoulder shrug.

They sit in silence for a long moment. Cloud is good at silence, as Red XIII has observed.

“I’m…I’m angry,” Red XIII says. “I have this anger, like poison inside me. I didn’t want to bring it here.”

“And you didn’t want anyone here to know what you’ve been through,” Cloud says. “You asked us not to tell anyone.”

Red XIII nods. “It would only bring them grief.”

“Why Red XIII?” Cloud asks. His fingers trace lightly over the flat surface of the sword, almost like a caress. He isn’t aware he’s doing it, but Red XIII has observed what some could call obsessive behavior towards his weapons. “If your name is Nanaki, why didn’t you tell any of us to call you that?”

Red XIII digs his front claws into the ground, leaning forward. It makes him feel stronger, the slight connection with the Planet beneath his feet. “Nanaki died in that cage in Shinra tower. They killed the protector of Cosmo Canyon with their torture and their experiments. The first thing I did when I got free was to try and tear out someone’s throat. And I liked it. I would do it again, if I could.” He hangs his head. “Nanaki is dead, and Red XIII seems like a good enough name for a beast like that.”

Cloud is quiet for a moment, lifting his fingers from the sword. “I know what you mean. Somewhere, there’s a break in my memories. Something missing, some…moment, when everything changed. When I changed.”

“And now the violence is in your heart,” Red XIII says.

“Yeah. That’s a good way to put it.”

 _We_ _’re a pair,_ Red XIII thought. _Two sets of glowing eyes, of Mako enhanced muscles, two killer_ _’s hearts._

“You have a good home,” Cloud says. “You have a family. Don’t let Shinra take this from you too.”

Red XIII studies the dance of the flames, the crackle of embers. How many times has he sat before this same fire, seeking guidance from the spirits of Cosmo Canyon?

The fire burns on, smoke drifting lazily upward, and Cloud stays by Red XIII’s side. They talk of little things—weapons, strategies, where they might find better Materia—until the sun starts to cast the east sky in a pink hue.

“Grandfather will be awake already,” Red XIII says. “He always gets up in the dark.”

Cloud brushes a lock of blond hair out of his eyes and glances up at the tower at the very top of Cosmo Canyon. “We’re leaving soon. I want to move on before Sephiroth’s tracks get cold.”

Red XIII nods his understanding. “I’ll go spend some time with him. So he’ll miss me less when we leave.”

Cloud gave him a slight smile, as easy to miss as the first star stepping out into the early night sky. “When I find Sephiroth, I’ll consider myself lucky to have Red XIII by my side.”

“Your good fortune is Sephiroth’s shitty luck,” Red XIII says, with a grin that is more a display of teeth than of joy. “I look forward to tearing his throat out. And Hojo’s, after that.”

Shinra may have turned gentle Nanaki into a weapon they called Red XIII, but that weapon would be their unmaking. The guardian of Cosmo Canyon would become the guardian of all on the Planet who Sephiroth and Shinra might seek to harm. And that wasn’t so bad—was it? 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3
> 
> Last year I wrote [the book of my heart](https://www.amazon.com/Dark-City-Sarah-Kay-Moll-ebook/dp/B07FP4M6BH).


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